Records fell for 'Sleepy' Floyd

Former Golden State Warriors Sleepy Floyd is photographed before the Warriors game against the Oaklanhoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group

By Gabe Whisnant, gwhisnant@gastongazette.com

Published: Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 08:02 AM.

Eric “Sleepy” Floyd has an entire game named after him.

Not many athletes can say that.

Specifically, “The Sleepy Floyd game” where he went off for 51 points with Golden State against Los Angels in the 1987 NBA playoffs. The same “Showtime” Lakers with Magic, Kareem and fellow Gastonia native James Worthy.

The scoring point guard Floyd set a record for points in a quarter that night, pouring in 29 during the fourth — consistently taking to school two of the top defenders in the league at the time, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott. The Warriors earned their first win of the opening-round series that night but would eventually lose the series, 4-1. The Lakers would go on to win their fourth of five titles in the decade. Still, the game lives on as one of the top individual playoff performances in NBA history.

Specifically, “The Sleepy Floyd game” where he went off for 51 points with Golden State against Los Angels in the 1987 NBA playoffs. The same “Showtime” Lakers with Magic, Kareem and fellow Gastonia native James Worthy.

The scoring point guard Floyd set a record for points in a quarter that night, pouring in 29 during the fourth — consistently taking to school two of the top defenders in the league at the time, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott. The Warriors earned their first win of the opening-round series that night but would eventually lose the series, 4-1. The Lakers would go on to win their fourth of five titles in the decade. Still, the game lives on as one of the top individual playoff performances in NBA history.

“Everything slowed down for me,” Floyd recently told the Oakland Tribune. “It felt like I was wide open. But when I look at the tape and see the difficult shots I made, I see most of them were contested. It was just a perfect storm of events.”

Long before that 1987 All-Star season, folks in Gastonia knew of Floyd’s prowess. The son of Robert and Myrtle Floyd, Eric — nicknamed “Sleepy” when he was 8 years old and a ball rolled between his legs during a baseball game — stood out on the courts at the Erwin Center and later at Highland Junior High.

Floyd recalled his formative days on the court and believes the roots of his success were sewed by the many hours he spent on the courts — and against stiff competition — in Gastonia.

“I think about Bubba Wilson and Juan Smith and the great players that came before us,” Floyd said. “Our entertainment was going to the park and playing. We had great role models and great teachers.

“We had to stay on the straight and narrow. They could punch you in the back and keep you in line — even if it wasn’t your parents. It was an old school philosophy of discipline.”

Floyd cemented his legend at Hunter Huss in 1977 as he led the Huskies to their first state title — defeating crosstown rival, Ashbrook, 60-59, at Greensboro Grimsley in the championship game. The win was sweet revenge for the Floyd and Huss, who had lost to Worthy and the Green Wave in the season’s previous four meetings.

“You just saw a lot of talent. You would think about, ‘What if we just had one high school with all of that talent? You could beat any high school in the state,’” said longtime Ashbrook coach Larry Rhodes about those Huss-Ashbrook battles. “It’s uncanny how much (talent) there was.”

His success at Huss didn’t necessarily land him at Georgetown. Instead, legendary Hoyas coach John Thompson was tipped off by Clarence “Big House” Gaines about the 6-foot-3 guard from Gastonia. Thompson made one trip to the area to see Floyd play in a pick-up game and invited him to Georgetown for a campus visit. Floyd was sold.

“My older sister was at Howard at the time, but I didn’t really know much about Georgetown,” he said. “I was really impressed with my weekend there. I wasn’t promised anything but a great education, and that stood out to me.”

Floyd went on to become one of the most decorated players in Hoyas’ history. He was an outside shooter, before the 3-point shot was instituted, and still amassed a school-record 2,304 points. Even with dominant center Patrick Ewing on the floor, Floyd led Georgetown in scoring each of his four years. He also ranks second in Georgetown history in steals.

But of course, the 1982 national championship game matchup with Worthy’s North Carolina squad will always be what many — especially in Gaston County — remember about his college career. In a tightly contested battle in the New Orleans Superdome, the Tar Heels edged Georgetown, 63-62, thanks to a late shot in the corner by then-freshman Michael Jordan. Similar to their days in Gastonia, Floyd and Worthy were two of the top performers that night with Worthy scoring 28 on his way to Most Outstanding Player honors and Floyd posting a balanced effort with 18 points, five assists and three rebounds.

“It was amazing … to have two guys from Gastonia play in the national championship game in New Orleans in front of 64-65,000 people and to have our story told on national TV. It was great for the city,” Floyd said. “There were a lot of people from Huss rooting for Georgetown, and of course a lot of people rooting for North Carolina. People were torn. I still have people come up to me today and talk about James and I and what that did for Gastonia.

“The two schools were so prominent. The two coaches (Thompson and Dean Smith) we played for were leaders of men forever. We were both so blessed to go against each other in that game.”

The 13th pick by the New Jersey Nets in 1982, Floyd’s pro career spanned 13 years. His most productive stretch was his 1983-88 stint with Golden State, then the following three years with Houston. He finished his NBA career averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 assists per game.

“Playing in the NBA was a total blessing of an opportunity. The relationships I’ve developed, basketball allowed me to do so much,” Floyd said.

Floyd, who currently lives in Charlotte and is a brand ambassador for the mattress, bedding and pillow company Comfort Revolution, has a son, Evan, who followed in his footsteps and attends Georgetown. Evan is a junior business major. His daughter, Cori, is a sophomore pre-med major at UNC who is a hurdler and relay runner on the Lady Tar Heels’ track and field team.

The 53-year-old is also working with Coca-Cola to help build-up parks and recreation departments in inner cities.

Floyd said he is honored to be inducted into the Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame.

“It feels extremely good to be recognized by the place that gave you a foundation as far as my work ethic and organizing my thoughts, beliefs and goals wanting to achieve something,” he said. “It’s a great honor.”

Eric “Sleepy” Floyd

Born: March 3, 1960

Education: Hunter Huss 1978, Georgetown 1982

Accomplishments: Floyd shined in all levels of basketball. In high school, he helped his alma mater to its first state title in 1977 in a dramatic win over crosstown rival Ashbrook and its star (and fellow Gaston Sports Hall of Famer) James Worthy. In college, he and Patrick Ewing starred as Georgetown advanced to the 1982 NCAA title game it lost to North Carolina due to Worthy’s MVP performance and a late-game shot by Michael Jordan. And, finally, in the NBA, Floyd earned a berth in the 1987 All-Star Game as a member of the Golden State Warriors to join Worthy as the lone NBA All-Stars in county history. A member of the Georgetown Hall of Fame, Floyd was Huss’ second 1,000-point career scorer, a member of the inaugural All-Big East team in 1980 and spent 13 NBA seasons playing for four teams. Floyd remains an NBA record-holder for playoff points in a quarter (29) and half (39) in a 1987 playoff game against Worthy’s Los Angeles Lakers.